Imagine the following scenarios: A phone call or meeting with the client smooths over late delivery of a report. A subcontractor completes his task late and offers a financial discount that improves the project's economics. These are not uncommon scenarios, and they appear to render the current schedule meaningless. Does this mean it was a waste of time to make a … [Read more...]
In order to meet the completion dates on your projects, it is wise to develop a project schedule. Whether you're managing the construction of the new Oakland Bay bridge or building a new shed in your back yard, adequate planning can ensure any project is completed on time, on budget, and meets all of its intended goals. In this article I will give you a 5 step crash … [Read more...]
I'll admit that project management can seem like paperwork at times, particularly the schedule part. Creating, managing, and controlling the schedule can seem like a whole bunch of needless number crunching when the project success seems to depend on strange, hard to control metrics such as unexpected delays, or relationships with multiple client stakeholders. If you … [Read more...]
Rolling wave planning is a project management technique that involves more detailed planning for short term than long term work items. As each item is gets closer, it is planned in greater and greater detail. Kind of like surfers who are far more interested in the current wave than the next one (until they get there). If that sounds simple, it is (much simpler than … [Read more...]
As an engineer, I've seen my share of change requests. Some have been fair, some marginal, and some just amount to petty attempts to get some more money. Project scope changes are not to be taken lightly. They represent a change in the project as envisioned, and almost always result in additional costs. Have you ever seen a project manager give money back because the … [Read more...]
In my industry, value engineering is something that's codified in the standard specification book, the one that's tossed into every contract to define the standards for the project. It allows a Contractor to approach the owner/consultant and request design changes. If approved, the savings are shared with the Contractor. I've never seen the clause used, although I can … [Read more...]
In project management, a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) is a planning tool whereby the project scope is divided into logical sub-components. It is a graphical representation of the project scope and forms the basis for further planning, such as the cost and schedule. It is not a scheduling or costing tool. A good WBS should be created in advance of the schedule to keep the … [Read more...]
Scope issues are the #1 reason for project failure. Today more than ever, it's imperative that all projects need a scope management plan. Scope management refers to the process of identifying and controlling the total resources that are involved in a project. It is important that scope be defined exactly. Too little, and you will have to answer to the stakeholders. But … [Read more...]
Scope management, or rather the lack of it, is one of the biggest reasons for project failure. Correctly defining what is and is not included in the project is absolutely foundational to good project management. I've seen many projects go south even though they had the right expertise, schedule, high quality deliverables, and even satisfied clients. But if the dreaded … [Read more...]
Lately there’s been alot of talk about the cloud. Apple has the iCloud, Microsoft has a cloud, and everybody seems to be going to the cloud. But what does that mean? And how is it useful to an engineer? I’ll start with the explanations. Before the widespread use of the internet, I.T. textbooks generally dealt with the local network, and … [Read more...]
